Executive summary of EEA - Pdf

The Employment Equity Act, No. 55 of 1998 (EEA) as amended by the Employment Equity Amendment Act 47 of 2013 deals with *equality (the right to be treated equally) and equity (the right not to be discriminated against) rights which are protected in our Constitution. Chapter 2 of the Bill of Rights, as contained in the Constitution of South Africa, enshrines the rights of all people in South Africa and affirms the democratic values of human dignity, equality and freedom. Section 9(1) determines that everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law. Equality includes the full and equal enjoyment of all rights (in this case employment rights) and freedoms and promotes the achievement of equality. People who have been previously disadvantaged by unfair discrimination have a constitutional right to be treated equally and fairly in the workplace. Unfair discrimination is defined by Section 9 of the Constitution which determines that no person may unfairly discriminate, directly or indirectly, against anyone on one or more grounds, including race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, colour, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth.